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AP PHOTOS: Peruvian nurse cares for 175 sick cats

Franklin Briceno Associated Press

Posted:
08/20/2014 12:05:11 AM EDT

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In this Aug. 2, 2014 photo, Maria Torero, plays with a group of 175 cats with leukemia in her home in Lima, Peru. Torero says caring for cats with feline leukemia is her responsibility. Anybody else can care for healthy animals. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

LIMA, Peru (AP) — At her job, Maria Torero cares for sick human beings. At home, she lavishes love on slowly dying cats — 175 of them at last count.

The 45-year-old nurse has turned her two-story, eight-room apartment into a hospice for cats with feline leukemia, scattering it with scores of feeding dishes and at least two dozen boxes litter boxes.

Some have suggested she shelter healthy cats instead. "That's not my role," she told The Associated Press. "I'm a nurse. My duty is to the cats that nobody cares about."

She said that "people don't adopt adult cats, especially if they are terminally ill."

In this Aug. 6, 2014 photo, Maria Torero, her arms covered with scratches, gets ready to medicate a sick cat at her cat hospice where she cares for 175 cats with leukemia at her home in Lima, Peru. Because of their illness, many of the animals have lost weight and are anemic. Torero feeds them, gives them medicine, sterilizes them, and treats them for parasites every two months. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia) (Martin Mejia/AP)

For five years, Torero has ministered to animals as they slowly succumb to the common, fatal retrovirus, which is not contagious to humans or other species. It usually is transmitted through direct contact, mutual grooming and the sharing of litter boxes, food and water bowls, according to the website of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

She finds the cats in Lima's streets and markets and has them tested for leukemia. Nearly all of the street cats turn out to have the disease, as well as fleas, parasites and malnutrition. She takes in only adult cats to avoid spreading the disease to new generations.

"Bringing a kitten here is condemning it to death," she said.

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Torero names the cats — Fellini, Peppa, Dolly, Misterio among them — and dresses many in small shirts. "Each one has a distinct personality," she said.

She said she doses out medicine, sterilizes the animals and treats them for parasites every two months. Her arms bear the scratches of cats that resist the injections.

She estimated she spends about $1,785 a month to care for the cats, half of that from donations and the other half from her job as a private nurse.

In this Aug. 6, 2014 photo, Maria Torero gets ready to medicate a sick cat at her Cat Hospice, where Torero looks after 175 cats that suffer from feline leukemia, at her home in Lima, Peru. For five years, Torero has ministered to the sick felines, attempting to improve their quality of life as they slowly succumb to the common, fatal retrovirus. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia) (Martin Mejia/AP)

Her three children, ages 16, 14, and 6, share the apartment and often play or cuddle with the cats, many of which sleep in plastic organizer bins and sprawl across seemingly every chair and shelf.

The cat boxes and heavy use of deodorants don't quite mask the powerful odor of urine, but Torero said her neighbors haven't complained.

Cats with leukemia can survive for several years, though their lifespan is usually much shorter than that of an unaffected cat. They eventually die naturally; Torero hasn't the resources to have them put down. There are no special ceremonies.

"My best gift of love and respect I give them in life," she said.

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In this Aug. 15, 2014 photo, Maria Torero, talks on her mobile phone, surrounded by several of the 175 cats with leukemia she cares for at her home in Lima, Peru. The Peruvian government doesn?t keep numbers on street cats, but Torero says there must be millions in the country. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia) (Martin Mejia/AP)

In this Aug. 15, 2014 photo, Maria Torero's son Fabian, 7, plays with the hospice's cats. Maria Torero, cares for 175 cats with leukemia at her home in Lima, Peru. The home is permeated with the stench of urine, which cannot be eliminated with even the strongest air fresheners. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia) (Martin Mejia/AP)

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